Belgian 3D printing company Materialise NV has just announced an exciting partnership with Microsoft Corp. through which users of Microsoft’s 3D printing platform will directly gain access to i.materialise’s cloud-based platform. The collaboration will thus allow for makers using applications such as 3D Builder to order 3D prints of their models directly through the app.

Through the integrated i.materialise 3D printing service, users will be able to choose from a wide selection of print options, including 20 different materials, and over one hundred different color and finish combinations. The collaboration is meant to streamline the 3D printing process through a service, and to make high-quality prints more accessible to makers everywhere.

Bart Van der Schuren, CTO at Materialise, says of the recent collaboration, “Our 3D printing technology is the connective backbone for so many valuable applications, and together with our i.materialise consumer platform, we aim to give more consumers, home professionals and small businesses access to our wide range of in-house 3D printing technology, optimized by our innovative software. Today, we are excited to be collaborating with Microsoft to expand the reach of the benefits of professional, high-quality 3D Printing to an even greater audience.”

Adrian Lannin, Group Program Manager of Microsoft echoed the excitement adding, “At Microsoft, we are developing the Windows 3D Printing Platform to improve the ease with which people can download designs or create something new and original. By working with Materialise, we aim to further improve the 3D printing experience of our community by giving users easy, direct access to the multitude of high-quality materials and finishes available through i.materialise.”

According to the companies, the added feature for the Microsoft 3D printing platform should be up and running within the coming weeks. In line with the announcement, Microsoft also recently released an updated version of its 3D Builder app. The 3D modeling app features a user-friendly interface, along with the capability to both capture 3D models through your webcam, or remix existing models.

Earlier this week, Microsoft also announced the launch of its Windows 10 IoT Core Network 3D Printer app, which extends support for Rasperry Pi hardware. With these recent developments, it truly seems as though Microsoft is gunning to offer the most attractive 3D printing platforms for makers everywhere. For those makers who are using Microsoft 3D printings apps, be sure to check back to see when the collaborative effort launches.